The Beauty of Differences
by Qiana King
Summary: Nbh'w Khamsin wasn't there for SnS II. What if he was? Why? What secrets would be revealed, and what affect would he have? Could this being that is thousands of years old change for the better—because of one teenage girl? KhamsinxKazumi, ShanaxYuji, MargeryxKeisaku, etc. Please R
1. Prologue: 'Relatives' and Arrival

Prologue: 'Relatives' and Arrival

Disclaimer: I will never own Shakugan no Shana. I wish I did. If I did, there would be a few more couples and love triangles. As I prove here.

* * *

**The Day Before ****Bal Masqué's ****Attack**

It was a dark room, with the soft light coming from glowing circles on the ground. Only the armor-clad feet of the people standing there were visible.

"Are we all agreed on this point?" a deep, clear voice asked from the shadows.

"I believe we are," someone else said.

"Very we—"

"Hold on a second." There was a loud, clanking sound as one of the people stepped forward. "I have my doubts about starting this now. I believe we should wait for another year."

"What are your doubts, Kenji-sama?" The deep voice was respectful.

"We cannot be sure whether the Flame Haze know of us or not." Kenji said. "Should they figure it out, they could very well find a way to stop us."

"But if we do not act, the Flame Haze _will _find us." Another person stepped forward. Their feet were shod in metal slippers, and next to Kenji's, they looked frail. But the stance hinted otherwise. "We're in their direct line of sight. It's a miracle that they haven't found us yet."

"But the shield of our ancesto—" Kenji started.

"We all know that's a myth," Gorou spat. "And if it isn't, it will protect us now."

Kenji was silent, then stepped back. "Very well," he said wearily. "I add my vote."

"Then it is decided," said the deep voice. The owner's feet appeared. They were shod in very old boots. "Let the combination of the worlds begin."

* * *

It was a few days after Ball Masque had staged their attack on a Misaki City. The birds chirped happily in the lush, green trees as a fifteen-year-old girl made her way to school. Traffic wasn't terrible, and the buildings gleamed with the light of a clear day.

"Kazumi-chan!" Someone called. The brunette turned to see a young man with glasses coming towards her down the clean sidewalk. "Good morning!" he said as he reached her.

"Good morning, Ike-kun," she said with a smile. "What is it?"

The boy's skin turned slightly pink around the cheeks. "U-umm . . . well, my cousin sent me this recipe." He quickly pulled out his phone. "She told me to give this to you." After fiddling with it for a moment, he handed it to her. His tan hand brushed her pale one.

"Oh!" The girl's brown eyes lit up as she stared at the screen. She looked up at the boy, somehow missing that his face was bright red. "Is this from Miki?"

"Y-yeah!" Ike said quickly. "You know her?"

"Of course!" Kazumi said with a warm smile. "She's the one that came to visit you a while back, correct?"

"Y-yeah!" The poor boy was slowly calming down. "I-I'll forward it to you."

"Thank you!" The girl replied warmly. She handed Ike back his phone, and they walked to school together.

* * *

At the same time, a strange boy made his way into the peaceful city. His Egyptian-toned, scarred face was hidden beneath a large orange hood. He glanced around continually with unconcerned, red irises. He moved in and out of the crowd, somehow blending in. However, when people spared him a glance, they seemed to be caught off guard and move away. On his back was a large, white, metal staff.

He eventually moved off the street and made his way to the places in the city he knew. From there, he would locate the Flame Haze in the city and go to them. He paused as he reached a place he recognized. It was a simple stop in the path, with a park bench and trees on the side. This was the place that he'd tuned the city. He looked up at the sky.

Somehow, he'd managed to tune all the cities that were on his list quickly enough for this job. Even then, his contractor had only convinced him to go by pointing out that the distortions could have come back. After all, the entire city had been covered by power of existence, which was then sucked up by Alastor manifesting as Tenpa Jōsai

He remembered the girl with whose memory he'd tuned the city. Yoshida Kazumi. He remembered the look on her face when he'd told her about the world. That was shock. Then, when she'd thought that boy might be a torch. He remembered terror.

And then the look on her face when she admitted to that boy. Tears streaming down her face, telling him that he _was _Sakai Yuji, and she loved him for that. The sudden urge to leave the city caught him off guard. He turned around and took a step, then stopped.

_'That's odd,' _he thought, then turned again and began searching for the presence of the Flame Haze.

* * *

The most renowned high school in Misaki City was also at peace. Students at their desks watched the teacher with boredom. One particular student's feet began to tap impatiently, and soon the entire class was mimicking the action. At first, the teacher tried to ignore it. Finally, he could take it no longer.

He spun about and roared, "Hirai-san!"

The feet of the student called went still. The same feet that had started the tapping. "What is it?" This particular student watched with amused, brown eyes as the teacher tried to formulate the words in a way that didn't sound pathetic.

"You are not letting me teach my lesson!"

This particular student raised a disdaining eyebrow. "Oh?" she asked. "How so?"

"You . . . you are tapping your feet to distract my class!" he cried. The girl snorted softly. Then, standing quickly, she walked to the front of the classroom. Her long black hair swished softly behind her.

"I can show you how to tap your feet, so that you get the attention of the class back." She volunteered. Her voice was calm, but had a mocking after tone.

"Hirai-san!" the teacher said fearfully, "get back to your desk!"

"First, you put your foot in a reliable position."

"Hirai-san!"

"Second," the girl continued, ignoring the teacher, "you lift all of your foot but the heel. Third, you bring your foot down, then bring it up the second it touches the floor." A sharp tap echoed through the silent room as the student demonstrated her words. The teacher, who was at this point too scared to speak, watched in horror as the other students followed her example.

Hirai smiled and nodded. "Very good, class," she said in a warmer tone of voice, and several of the students laughed. "Now, let's do it all together, shall we?"

As she raised her foot, the teacher cried out. "STOP!" When all of the feet descended in perfect harmony, he covered his ears with his hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

Just then, as the students raised their feet once more, there was a loud ringing sound. The girl's brown eyes shot towards the sound. She paused in the middle of a tap and reached into her pocket to retrieve a phone.

"Hirai-san!" the teacher yelled, slamming his fists on his desk, "what is that doing in here?"

"I take what I want all over the city. I don't see how it's different with a classroom," Shana said as she hit the answer button. "Now be quiet while I take this call. Yes?"

The class erupted into giggles and chuckles. The teacher turned and glared at the students, trying to reassert his authority. It didn't work. Shana leaned against the desk, her brow furrowing. The red and gold pendant that hung from her neck seemed to glow brighter, but only one boy in the mass of students noticed this.

His name was Sakai Yuji, and he was a Mystes. A Torch who's existence slowly ran out during the day, and was restored because of the precious hogu that resided within him. Not all Mystes were as lucky as he; most of them faded, and didn't even realize that they were fading, or that they contained something more valuable to a Crimson Denizen than gold.

Shana lowered the phone, hit the end button on the call, and slipped it back into her skirt pocket.

"Kazumi-chan, Yuji, the three of us are needed at home."

"M-me?" Kazumi asked. She was a sweet girl with chestnut colored hair and bright brown eyes. Yuji remembered when she'd confessed her love to him, and felt his face heat a little. Until then, she'd never really been an option for Yuji. He might be a numbskull when it came to romance, but he knew his friend Hayato Ike was in love with her.

"Yes," Shana confirmed, and something in Kazumi's eyes lit up.

Yuji remembered nearly a week ago, when the kind girl had managed to save them. They'd been at school, and the boy had been sent to the infirmary. Mare, Village of Jestful Slumber, had put the three of them in a dream. She had then tried to steal the Midnight Lost Child, the Hogu that resided in Yuji. At the last second, despite all forces against her, Kazumi had woken, and they had escaped from the dream before it collapsed on them with Mare's demise.

Yuji stood and followed Shana, who was pulling Kazumi along. He wondered what was so important, and why Wilhelmina needed the brunet. After all, it had to be Shana's adopted mother who had called. Who else would have?

"W-wait a second!" the teacher yelled, running after them.

"Oh, right." Shana turned to him. "Someone in my distant family is dying. We're all really close to her." Yuji was dead sure that would not convince the teacher, who now stood with his arms folded in front of him.

"W-wait!" Kazumi cried. The brunette girl turned to Shana. "You don't mean . . . Aimi, do you?"

The Flame Haze looked blankly at the human for a moment, then caught on and nodded. Yuji was surprised to see tears spring to Kazumi's bright, brown eyes. He lowered his head to hide his awe.

The girl turned to the teacher. "Please!" she begged. "Mark us as absent, whatever! If she's really dying . . ."

"It was an automobile accident," Shana said. "She has less than four hours to live."

Kazumi froze. The teacher looked at her and his face softened. "Alright, alright. Hirai-san, you may escort these two to . . . to wherever this Aimi is. I'll mark you as excused."

"Thank you!" Kazumi said, and as she turned back to the other two, Yuji was surprised to see how convincingly thankful her expression was. As he turned to follow Shana, Yuji realized that Kazumi was pretty cute, too.

* * *

**AN: **Alright! First stage of the re-write, completed! Hopefully, this is much better than the first draft stuff. And hopefully, I get a review *hint, hint* By the way, don't worry about the YujixKazumi mention—it won't be happening. That is a very sincere promise. I just needed . . . well, you'll see.

It's rather unusual for a prologue, isn't it? More like a first chapter. Are the character OOC? Is the grammar terrible? Did you enjoy it? Did you not? Are you eager to see what happens next or bored? Please sandwich your critique (if you can). And last but not least . . .

Thank you in advance!

-Qiana King


	2. Chapter One: News and a Fūzetsu

Chapter One: News and a Fūzetsu

Disclaimer: I would love to own Shakugan no Shana. It's my dream. Then I could, hypothetically, affect the cannon.

* * *

**Prologue Summary:**

After a flashback to a dark room, a strange boy comes into Misaki City. Shana receives a phone call in the middle of class. She then demands that Yuji, Kazumi, and herself leave the classroom. Her poor excuse is brought to life by Kazumi, and they head towards the Hirai apartment.

* * *

Kazumi had expected that both Shana and Yuji would run faster than her.

Shana was a Flame Haze, a human that had made a contract with Alastor, the Flame of Heavens to gain power and protect the balance of the world. With this mission in mind, the small girl with black hair had destroyed hundreds, if not thousands of Denizens from the Crimson realm. Of course she would be faster than Kazumi.

And Yuji was a Mystes who could take existence from himself and not be afraid to fade. Not only did he hold this power, but he knew how to run fast by himself. Kazumi knew she could not match his powerful strides.

However, what she had not expected was the seven feet that persistently separated her from Yuji. She struggled to stay at seven, her feet pounding on the hard dirt path. She was sure she was going to trip until the Mystes paused.

The poor girl was practically gasping for air as she stopped next to Yuji. The boy turned again and called to Shana, who had also stopped and was waiting.

"You're weak, Yuji!" Shana snapped as she walked to them. Her brown eyes were flashing with annoyance. "I thought you were stronger than this."

"I'm sorry," Kazumi panted, "it's my fault. I can't keep up."

"Oh, you're anemia." Shana frowned. "I forgot about that."

"I apologize." Alastor, the Flame of Heaven, said. He resided in pendant the Flame Haze wore. "I had also forgotten."

"I can carry her." Yuji volunteered. Kazumi felt her face explode with heat. The thought made her heart pound more than it already was and her stomach fill with butterflies.

"I-I'm alri—"

"Shut up!" Shana cried. The girl with chestnut hair looked at the Flame Haze. She looked angrier than usual, and Kazumi realized Shana's anger was directed towards Yuji. "Do you think I'm too weak to!?"

"N-no." He said, confused, but backing up a bit. "I was simply thinking you wouldn't like to."

"I-It's alright if—" The brunette started, but the girl with black hair was already picking her up. Shana sent the boy a blood-curdling glare, to which he flinched. Then she turned and continued running.

Kazumi barely heard him mutter, "What was that about?"

* * *

Meanwhile, a woman with short pink hair and pink eyes sat at the table in the Hirai apartment. She was dressed in a simple lavender dress with a frilly apron; what some would call a maid's outfit. The only customization was the yellow ribbon tied around her neck.

"Did they tell you their reasons for her coming, de arimasu?" Wilhelmina asked.

"Ah, they didn't tell me." The being across from her looked like a ten-year-old boy, but in reality, he was more than three thousand years old. His hood was down, revealing the black braid that now hung over his shoulder.

"You resent them." The woman clarified.

"Explanation requested." The emotionless voice that came from her maid's headband belonged to her contractor, Tiamat.

"Ah, they didn't give me any clues." He said, uncaring that she had seen through the loose cover on his emotions.

"Hmm, it would seem that they don't want us to know." These words came from an ornate bracelet on the boy's right hand. "It is a bit troubling. Of course we resent them."

The door to the apartment was thrown open. "Wilhelmina, we're back." Shana called, setting the girl with chestnut hair on the floor.

The woman with pink hair stood and walked to the doorway, where Yuji had just appeared. "How are you, de arimasu?" She asked.

"Don't we have something to fight?" The girl with now flaming hair replied.

"Ah, not so much fight as leave for." The boy that was at the table was now helping Kazumi to her feet.

"We're leaving?" Kazumi asked. Shana let her hair flicker to black.

"Yes." Wilhelmina said. "Once he explains, you will understand, de arimasu."

"Alright, what do you have to tell us, Mobilizer of the Ceremonial Equipment?" Yuji asked. It was easy to see that he still hadn't forgiven the boy for telling Kazumi the truth of the world.

The boy was blunt. "Ah, the Crimson world and this one are in the process of becoming one."

"What!?" Kazumi cried. Her brown eyes flashed with worry.

"Ah, I took care of the formalities."

"Formalities?" The blue-eyed boy asked.

"Ah, your family's worries."

"What did you tell them?" Yuji demanded. Unfortunately for him, no one noticed as the young boy mentioned that they should be leaving.

"Oh, by the way, Khamsin-san." Kazumi smiled at the strange and scarred being in the shape of a ten-year-old boy. "It's good to see you again."

Nbh'w Khamsin internally relaxed as he looked into her warm, brown eyes. Even with the world collapsing around him, the light in her eyes gave him a certain amount of comfort. "Ah, it is good to see you, too, Yoshida Kazumi-san." Then he remembered something, nodded to her, and turned to those that used their existence.

"Ah, and a few things you should know. Setting up a Fūzetsu would not be wise."

"Why not?" Yuji asked.

"Ah, it will increase the speed at which the worlds are joining."

"Why?" The boy with brown hair asked. Khamsin felt a flicker of annoyance as he prepared his response, knowing that the question was not for clarity, but because the boy was suspicious. Khamsin understood the boy's frustration that Kazumi knew of the Crimson realm, but not trusting him for such a petty reason showed a lack of the maturity that he knew Yuji had. Fortunately, Alastor beat Khamsin to the explanation.

"A Fūzetsu stops time by allowing the Crimson realm and this one to mingle." He said. "Naturally, connecting them like that, even for a moment, would speed the process we hope to avoid."

"Ah, let us leave." Khamsin said. As they found no more objections, and they were in a press for time, they moved outside, first to find the last Flame Haze and get her in on the plan.

Second, to stop the worlds from joining.

* * *

The crowded train station was bustling with activity. The seats in the area were like parking spots right next to a mall; only disabled or pregnant people seemed to be able to get them.

Thus was the environment that greeted a certain boy who looked fifteen years old.

His messy hair was a clover green, and his eyes were a tawny gold. He was dressed in a tunic and leggings, and had several pieces of medieval armor strewn over him. In his right hand he clutched what appeared to be light.

He finally found what he was looking for; a schedule for the trains. He smiled when he saw that every departure was from Misaki City.

"Thank goodness." He whispered quietly—so quietly, no one around him heard what he said. Then he raised his right hand, which contained the light. People around him gave him strange looks as he closed his eyes and concentrated.

"Fūzetsu." He said in a voice that was the level of a loud whisper. A wall of golden flame sprung up around the entire city.

* * *

Unbeknownst to him, several people were hurrying to the train station in a vehicle driven by a reckless driver.

"Margery-san!" Yuji cried as he jerked forward onto his seatbelt, which knocked the breath out of him.

While he was attempting to recover, the driver yelled back, "What is it, Mystes?"

"Please, be more careful!" Alastor said.

"Ah, what's wrong with her driving?" Khamsin asked. Kazumi noted that he looked unfazed as he pulled back from where he had saved her from the same fate as Yuji.

"A lot of things." Keisaku told him while trying to breathe.

"Ah, but she always turns on her blinker. And she's only smashed one door." Shana blanched as the words fell from Khamsin's mouth.

"What do _you_ usually do to a car?" Yuji asked as they rounded another sharp bend.

"Ah, they always end up either on fire or smashed apart for no apparent reason."

There was silence in the vehicle except for a few yelps, gasps for breath, and the sound of bodies hitting the seat-belts. None of these sounds were heard from Kazumi, who was saved every time by Khamsin.

Suddenly, the car stopped moving. "What is this?" Margery cried in outrage.

"Whatever it is, I'm at least slightly glad of it." Keisaku said.

"Shut up. I'm good at driving!" Margery said in indignation.

"I-I have agree with Big Sister." Eita said. "We didn't crash into another car once."

"See!" Margery cried. Then she looked around. "Uh-oh."

"Yada yada, this is what you get for being so stuck up!" Marchosias cackled.

The world was frozen in a deep color of red. "A Fūzetsu." Alastor said as his contractor carefully unbuckled herself.

"Are you alright, Shana?" Yuji asked. The girl with black hair shot him a glare.

"Of course I'm fine." She snapped.

"Ah, look above." Khamsin said calmly as he helped Kazumi out of the vehicle. Everyone looked up from the black pavement filled with frozen cars. At the top of the Fūzetsu, there was a circle of soft, golden light.

"What is that?" Yuji asked.

"Hmm, no idea." Behemoth said.

"Investigation needed." Tiamat said in a monotone voice.

Margery broke open the driver's door, and everyone piled out. She then made the car disappear.

"What did you just do?" Yuji asked.

"Hah, I pulled that car out of thin air. I simply put it back into my existence when I was down with it." Margery said in a tone of voice that made it clear she'd worked hard on that unrestricted method. "Anyway, let's get going. Where do you think they are?"

"Don't you guys have some kind of . . . tracking method?" Kazumi asked.

"Yeah." Shana said. "We sense their power of existence. I can feel quite a lot of it right now—I just can't tell where it's coming from . . . "

"And didn't I feel anything when the Fūzetsu took effect." Margery said. "How are we supposed to find them?"

"Ah, let us first go to the train station."

"Why?" Yuji asked. Khamsin felt slight irritation at the fifteen-year-old boy's tone. He was eager to question the 'old man's' every word.

"He's always right." Margery said. "It's really irritating."

Yuji opened his mouth as if to object, but everyone started to move in direction of the station. He closed it with a snap and followed them through the maze of cars.

* * *

The capital of Japan was constantly busy. Tokyo was always bustling with the activity of the occupants, not to mention the tourists. Rain or shine, war or no, strange happenings or normal.

"I wonder if they would keep shopping through an earthquake." Miki Hayato muttered under her breath as she watched the crowds from the roof of a large convenience store. She liked Tokyo, but she was also tired of it. On holidays, the streets were so tightly packed that when the girl's orange eyes scanned the streets from a height, she could not tell one person apart from another.

Remembering what she was doing, the black haired girl looked back down at her phone. She sighed as she read her cousin's text message again; _"I forwarded it to her."_

The cousin in question had the name of Ike Hayato. Miki couldn't believe what a coward he was. She'd texted him the recipe for the very purpose of getting him to talk to his crush. The Yoshida girl was perfect for him. Miki couldn't understand why Ike was so hesitant to tell the girl what he felt. Then again, Miki already had a boyfriend—who was currently fifteen minutes late.

The small blue flame inside the girl flickered.

Miki sighed and put her phone back in her pocket. She was tired of Tokyo. Maybe she could visit Ike in Misaki. She smiled and looked up at the sky. But then again, she probably shouldn't. Because . . .

Someone dropped from the sky and landed beside her. Miki looked over her shoulder and almost through her short black hair to face the boy and smiled. "How are you?" She asked, standing and taking one step into his arms.

"Hmmm . . ." He leaned his head on her shoulder as he embraced her. "I'm alright."

"Did you get in another fight?" She asked him gently.

"No." He said quietly.

The blue flame inside the girl's body slowly grew in size, and though she knew he was boosting her existence, she couldn't feel anything.

"So there are no more creatures in the city right now?"

"No." He said. "They are all gone."

"You're really amazing, you know." She said, running her hands through his long, dark brown hair.

He raised his head to meet her orange eyes with his blue ones. "I'm not even close to some of the Flame Haze out there. I have to beat them . . ." He whispered.

Miki knew that her boyfriend had to boost her existence almost every single day. Sometimes, she could feel herself fading a little right before he would touch her shoulder, or a similar light touch, and she knew what he was doing. If she left Tokyo for a while, so would he, and this was a hub for those creatures—a place for his training.

"I know." Miki said, resolving that she wasn't going back to Misaki for a while yet. "I won't do anything to hinder you."

* * *

Meanwhile, the young man with golden eyes prepared to teleport away from the station. He stood with his eyes closed, concentrating on the ball of light in his open palm. The light flickered out, revealing a small, flat disk made of iron. The boy opened his eyes and sighed quietly in exasperation.

Then he heard footsteps. He looked up sharply and spotted the Flame Haze approaching through the crowd. Fortunately, it didn't seem like they had spotted him, so he quickly slipped through the crowd of frozen people and hid behind a tall man.

They came unnervingly close. As they were walking past the man, a boy with dark brown hair paused stopped and looked at the man.

"Dad is home?" The boy muttered. The green-haired Denizen froze, praying to the Snake of the Festival that the boy would not find him.

Then their eyes met.

The boy lunged forward, but the Denizen was faster. He could hear the yells sounding behind him as he ran. One yell was louder than the rest, and he shuddered as he realized that meant it was closer. Why had his brother sent him to this place again?

He dodged through the crowd, feeling his anxiety grow with each step. The crowd seemed impossibly thick. He rammed into someone, who fell onto someone else. The domino affect was continually exposing him. Then there was an explosion behind him. He felt himself flying through the air.

He was weaker than most Denizens. Had his brother wanted him to die?

He landed on his back. The shock and pain swept through him like it would a human. He gritted his teeth, but that didn't help. If only he had been able to use that teleportation. He could barely hear the yell.

"Got him!" Through his blurry vision, the boy could see large splotches of purple and green. A splotch of white. Fire. In desperation, he channeled a large amount of his existence above his head.

* * *

**AN:** Second stage of re-write complete! Sorry about being so long in this. I decided that, instead of switching between 'Yeah' and 'Ah' from Khamsin when he speaks, I was just gonna go with 'Ah'. So in future, when reading, keep this in mind: 'Ah' can mean 'yeah.'

And again, please review! I would like to know what you think! The rundown: are the characters OOC? Is there a typo? Was it rambling? Was it cool? Did it have interesting concepts? What do you think of this green-haired crimson Denizen? Etc, etc. Again, please sandwich your review: Good, bad, good.

Thank you in advance!

-Qiana King


End file.
